An Unreturned Videotape
by AnonymousGnome
Summary: Life can be pretty uneventful when you work in a dead-end job with little prospects of leaving the town where you were born. Robin and Steve have that type of life until an interesting blonde walks into the video store for the first time. Soon they find themselves on the run as they look for a mysterious missing videotape, adopt a green cat, and discover a secret society.


_Hello, I am very new to writing._ _I have a good idea where I want this narrative to go... But, I __would like to improve my writing. So, if you have any tips... or anything. Give me a shout. Thanks. _

**Chapter 01 - Don't Look Now**

After a panicked few days of being sucked into Steve's world, she was reluctant to let go of the person who had experienced the same torture with the Russians. Although reluctant to admit it Robin also found him getting closer to her than anyone else, that's why she emphasized to Keith about his ability to hold down a job. Though she had focused on how irresistible Steve was to the ladies, it surprised her to find that he had led to an increase in their monthly turnover. When people came in to talk to Steve about videos, they quickly left with a video that did not relate to the type of story they wanted to watch. As there were only a few video stores in the area, their branch being the biggest, these girls quickly came back to replace the useless video with a preferred romcom. So, yes. The first few weeks, Steve Harrington increased the revenue of the family video store.

As Robin leaned on the wooden countertop of the checkout, she stared out of the glass door across from her into the inky darkness. A troubling thought inched its way into her mind that potential monsters from Russian laboratories were ready to crush her existence into tiny shards. In an attempt to halt her imagination, she focused back on the sounds within the ugly green store. She could hear Steve rifling through the pile of return videos, sorting them into the appropriate genres with frustration.

"Is 'Don't Look Now' a romance?" He asked as he clicked open the case with a satisfying pop.

Rolling her eyes at the absurd notion, Robin responded in a light tone, "Oh yeah, let's go on holiday after our daughter's death. Get a nun to contact her. How romantic."

Pressing the case closed with the palm of his hand, he turned his attention towards her end of the counter. "You never know. After, they could all go dancing and get an Italian meal."

Robin found herself chuckling, as she pulled the video along the smooth countertop. "One hell of a romance". Steve began to laugh alongside her as he jested back about how Keith would love to find the video hidden amongst the romantic comedies.

Most of their days went by without any major interruptions. They fell into a pattern where they would joke around while working on meager tasks. Robin even began her old rituals of documenting how many times Steve did something dumb, which was mainly when he told a customer false movie information. The kids would drop in every so often to talk to Steve or grab the latest video rental, but their appearances started to decline when the semester started. Lack of contact with the outside world forced them both to feel like they had been left behind in a sort of time capsule, where time was marked only by new movies. Soon the hours of sorting videos, turned into days, weeks, and then months.

In a blur of videotapes, November arrived with the return of itchy sweaters and thanksgiving preparations. In November Steve had made it to his second month of night classes, as he tried to meet college acceptance levels of the nearest colleges. Robin tried to push through the sensitive topic of University to help him as much as she could with subjects such as algebra, but late one Thursday, the debate regarding her financial situation for University turned sour. She had snapped a horrid comment at Steve's lack of intelligence before relinquishing the truth, that even if she had financial stability University was not an option for someone in her situation. Her mother had been ill for a lot of her life, but with age those episodes where her mother locked herself away grew longer. It was with that knowledge, that she knew she could not just leave Hawkins.

Go,Tigers.

Moments like that Thursday where they sat on the floor behind the counter in deep conversation, a colorful array of junk food scattered around them, cemented their friendship. At first, it had been awkward talking about anything that mattered, but even though they were not always on the same mental page, she could see that Steve understood the social implications of her secret. It was a miracle that a popular boy like Steve Harrington could find some way of accepting her, yet society would still condemn her for the 'unnatural' attractions she felt. In a small town like Hawkins, others knowing her secret would probably result in daily death threats and abuse.

Go, Tigers.

For once they were having a slow Friday, which was the most dismal experience imaginable. Store policy permitted them to stay open till eleven, therefore they had nothing to do but watch the clock slowly count its way down. Slow nights came with stomach-dropping dread that each time she looked into the darkness she would see a terrifying mess of a creature lumping its way towards the building. As she glanced outside into the car park, she caught herself holding her breath. Unable to see a monster in the night, she released her breath with a soft hiss as she moved back over to the counter where Steve was typing a number into the store phone. She watched him splutter out the name of a recent girl who had come to the store, just to frantically apologize as he corrected himself with another female name. Shaking her head in amazement at his clueless nature, she continued to watch as he tried to verbally 'charm' the girl on the other line. She supposed if he ever got a girlfriend, it would be due to how he mimicked a puppy with good intentions and terrible execution. And not because he was a smooth talker.

The small smile that was gracing her lips at the sight of the phone call fell as an icy gust tickled her neck. The wind that had assaulted her body from behind had forced its way into the store with a figure in a blue bobbins bike helmet. Seeing there was no threat, Robin turned to watch the feminine shape with mild interest as they unraveled a red scarf that had been wrapped several times around their face. Through letting the scarf rest on their neck, the young woman had revealed a set of rose-colored cheeks. Helmet being yanked off her head messy blonde hair fell past her shoulders in a cascade of different shades, as she strode towards the counter.

"Hi?" Robin said in a questioning tone as the stranger's green-eyed gaze met her own. Her mind stalled for a moment, surprised at how someone could have striking emerald eyes that held a strong determination. Stunned her reaction to the girl's soft response was slow, providing ample time for Steve to take the lead with customer service.

Calmly placing the phone back on the receiver Steve greeted the blonde, "Well, Hello. Welcome to family video. I am sure we can advise you with whatever you need?" His tone of voice was sickly, tailored towards trying to get this female customer to go on a date. Normally, Robin would have rolled her eyes. However, she was too busy watching annoyance flicker across the green eyes of the girl before she spoke to her colleague.

"I called earlier today, you said you had The Maltese Falcon?"

Robin raised an eyebrow at the name of the film, she had been waiting for her to ask for a recent chick flick. Instead, she asked for a Noir film that critics hailed as a masterpiece for its dark mystery, dialogue, and cinematography. She knew Steve was out of his depth hearing the hesitation in the way he asked about the name of the film, lingering on each word with uncertainty. Letting out a noise of disgust, Robin took the lead in the situation to win back the new customer.

Quickly she slid around the counter heading toward the crime section, telling the girl that she would be able to find the movie. With practiced motions she flicked through the movies, taking the time to inquire if the movie choice was due to a class assignment. After hearing the movie title, Robin's curiosity had been piqued at why the blonde, who was patiently standing beside her, wanted a film from the 1940s. Though, her first assumption was that she had been forced due to a drama or media study class.

As Robin found the copy she glanced up witnessing the girl raise a gloved hand to her face to take nervous bites at the red material of the thumb. The blonde bit nervously as she explained that the director was one of her favorites. A sort of uncomfortable aura radiated from the blonde, as stepped from one foot to another with her hand close to her face.

The reason why she wanted the movie made Robin more puzzled, having worked at the family video store for months she knew she would not have forgotten someone who had taken out a Noir film. As she walked back around the counter with the video, she snuck another peek at the girl who was wearing a large brown duffle coat. She was rather pretty, but not in a way where most girls were fixated on their hair or makeup. It seemed to come from how each of her features delicately came together to make her seem like a reserved type of beauty. Admittedly, even though the girl was pretty she would have been easily unnoticed in a crowded room. Her coat was far too big for her frame, while she appeared to keep hiding her gleaming eyes through bashfully looking down at her tatty doc martens.

While she had searched for the movie Steve come to lean on the counter, next to where the till Robin had stopped at was located. She could feel him looking at her with a curious expression, as if drinking in a new experience that was folding in front of him. Desperate to ignore Steve's presence, she requested the rental membership card from the blonde who was gently placing her helmet on the counter. The blonde's gloved hands rested on the top of the wooden counter, where it was easy to see numerous tiny holes from where her teeth had previously gnawed at the material.

The blonde's voice was more deliberate now, as if all her confidence had diminished from having to wait for the movie. When she carefully looked up to meet their gazes, she seemed almost fragile in the request to set up a membership card with family video. Robin simply nodded trying not to look at Steve who was still lolling against the counter, but inside the more she began to get curious about the girl. Desperate to reduce a sudden tension in the air, Robin spoke carefree tone, "Sure, we run on memberships. Going to need to be 18 or over have a form of ID, down payment and form filling though."

The girl made a motion to go into a shoulder bag that Robin hadn't previously noticed, that provide some time for her to get rid of Steve. "Dingus, will get you a form." She shoved Steve with her arm, who let out a grunt before going into the back to find a form. "So, you're new to town?" She asked as the girl dug out a striking green wallet that reflected her eye colour. To Robin's dismay, the response was a one-word answer of no.

She did not have to wait long for more details, as the next second, she had been handed a laminated school card from Buckner High. The small delicate handwriting, stated the blonde's age of 18 and name of Ivy Brown. She was from the other side of town on the way out of Hawkins towards Monroe, which explained why she had not seen the girl in the store. Buckner High was their nearest rival, who they competed against for everything from science fairs to football. The drive was not long, about 20 minutes, but the girl had obviously biked the drive.

Robin smiled as she felt her the mystery shatter and her own confidence return, "Venturing all the way to the rival district for a movie. Got to be careful, Ivy. They are all Tiger fans." Thankfully, she saw the girl returning the smile, her slender frame reducing in tension under the huge duffle coat.

Sadly Steve interrupted their conversation as he bounced through to the counter, declaring with a wave of the paper, in his tone reserved for women, that he had the form. For some reason, Robin felt a desire not to have Steve try his luck at flirting with this girl- even if they were bored. Desperate to reduce the boy to just being nice, she forced an eye role quickly stating, "She's from Buckner, Tiger boy."

As Ivy started filling the form, Robin listened to Steve's voice change back to its normal tone as he asked, "What happened to the picture entertainment rental store?"

As she filled in the form, they both listened to Ivy explained that she had actually gone to her local rental to find that no one knew what had happened to the owner. Not being able to acquire the movie, she rang family video before later deciding to cycle through the woods for 40 minutes to get the movie. After filling in the form, she selected a few packet Reeses pieces to go alongside her movie then left.

A moment after the door had closed Steve, face lit up with a wide smile. "What was that Robin? Stare much." He pushed her softly, as she looked away from his teasing for a moment. There was a deep worry in her gut, that if he could see when she was just curious about the girl then so could everyone else. She choked a feeble laugh out, "Just interested in her movie choice, Dingus."

The next day, Robin was inclined to begin to forget the girl from the previous night, but instead Keith's first comment that morning was not about Steve's tardiness. It was about the picture entertainment store.


End file.
